Universal connectivity for non-universal devices

ABSTRACT

A system includes at least one data collection device, each connected to a corresponding data terminal via a primary communication channel; and a central connectivity point connected to each data collection device via a wireless secondary communication channel so as to communicate with the at least one data collection device without disrupting communication between the at least data collection device and the corresponding data terminal via the primary communication channel and to permit remote administration of each data collection device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/825,714 for Universal Connectivity for Non-Universal Devicesfiled Jun. 29, 2010 (and published Jan. 6, 2011 as U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2011/0004870), now U.S. Pat. No. 8,914,788,which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/222,284 forUniversal Connectivity for Non-Universal Devices filed Jun. 1, 2009.Each of the foregoing patent applications, patent publication, andpatent is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Data collection devices are a class of device used to collect, process,and transfer data to a data processing system. Data collection devicesmay be provisioned with one or more of a variety of data collectionsub-systems including: imager, laser scanner, RFID scanner, and magneticmedia scanner. Such sub-systems generally scan some data bearing devicesuch as dataforms (e.g. barcodes), magnetic stripes, and RFID tags. Thecollected data is processed within the data collection device by aprocessor and associated circuits. The type and amount of processing mayvary depending on the class of device, but usually includes, at aminimum, decoding the output of the data collection sub-system togenerate a string of data corresponding to the encoded data containedwithin the data bearing device. The decoded data is then generallytransferred to a terminal device (such as a cash register) using aprimary communication path. This communication path may be one of anynumber of wired and wireless communication paths, such as 802.11,cellular, IrDA, USB, serial and parallel paths.

Although the conventional data transfer process outlined above issufficient for normal day-to-day operation of the data collectiondevice, difficulties arise when the process is extended to grantadditional functionality to the data collection devices. In severalimplementations, the primary communication path is one-way—data can betransferred from the data collection device to the terminal device, butnot from the terminal device to the data collection device. Features ofthe data collection device requiring a downstream channel from theterminal device to the data collection device, such as remotemonitoring, software updating, or real-time licensing, cannot beimplemented. In addition, although other primary communication paths aretwo-way, these communication paths may have limited bandwidth, such thatimplementing additional features to take advantage of the two-waycommunication path would limit the primary functions of the datacollection device.

Updating hardware or software on the data collection device highlightsthe problems of the conventional system. In the conventional system,when the software or hardware on a portable data terminal needs to beupdated, every portable data terminal must be manually updated. Datacollection devices employing one-way communication paths cannot beupdated automatically because the data cannot be transferred to the datacollection device. Similarly, bandwidth limitations or implementationdecisions (such as security concerns) limit the use of two-waycommunication paths for this purpose. Since the data cannot beautomatically transferred, each data collection device must be manuallyupdated. Although the updating process is not difficult for smallenterprises with few data collection devices, the process istime-consuming and inefficient for large enterprises that may havehundreds or thousands of data collection devices requiring updates. Asystem that eliminates the problem of limited bandwidth and difficultyin communicating with the data collection device would be desired.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention provide a system in which a centralconnectivity point is connected to at least one data collection devicevia a secondary communication channel that does not interfere with aprimary communication channel, thereby allowing administration of thedata collection devices without adding functionality to an existingprimary communication channel.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a system is provided,including at least one data collection device, each connected to acorresponding data terminal via a primary communication channel; and acentral connectivity point connected to each data collection device viaa wireless secondary communication channel so as to communicate with theat least one data collection device without disrupting communicationbetween the at least data collection device and the corresponding dataterminal via the primary communication channel. Here, the centralconnectivity point remotely administers the at least one data collectiondevice via the secondary communication channel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a data collectiondevice is provided. The data collection device includes a primarycommunication interface to communicate with a data terminal via aprimary communication channel; a secondary communication interface tocommunicate with a central connectivity point via a wireless secondarycommunication channel without affecting communication via the primarycommunication interface, so as to allow remote administration of thedata collection device by the central connectivity point; a controllerto control operation of the data collection device and to respond tocommands received from the central connectivity point; a first memory tostore information related to communications with the data terminal; anda second memory other than the first memory to store information relatedto communications with the central connectivity point.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forthin part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obviousfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent and more readily appreciated from the following description ofthe embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings ofwhich:

FIGS. 1A and 2A illustrate a conventional portable data terminal (PDT);

FIGS. 1B and 2B illustrate a conventional hand held bar code scanner;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a data collection device according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a process of updating a data collection device,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elementsthroughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain thepresent invention by referring to the figures.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B illustrate two types of data collectiondevices; PDTs (FIGS. 1 a and 2 a) and hand held bar code scanners (FIGS.1 b and 2 b). When viewed at a systems level, PDTs and hand held barcode scanners illustrate the variety of sub-systems utilized by datacollection devices, with fixed and mobile systems being generally morecomplicated than hand held bar code scanners but perhaps not quite ascomplex as PDTs. As such, while the following discussion focuses on PDTsand hand held bar code scanners, the described embodiments of thepresent invention encompass all data collection devices.

PDTs generally integrate a mobile computer, one or more data transportpaths and one or more data collection subsystems. The mobile computerportion is generally similar to known touch screen consumer orientedportable computing devices (e.g. “Pocket PCs” or “PDAs”), such as thoseavailable from PALM, HEWLETT PACKARD, and DELL. The data transport pathsinclude wired and wireless paths, such as 802.11, IrDA, BLUETOOTH,RS-232, USB, CDMA, GSM (incl. GRPS), and so forth. The data collectionsubsystem generally comprises a device that captures data from anexternal source, for example, touches, keystrokes, RFID signals, images,and bar codes. PDTs further distinguish from consumer oriented portablecomputing devices through the use of “industrial” components integratedinto a housing that provide increased durability, ergonomics, andenvironmental independence over consumer oriented devices. Additionally,PDTs tend to provide improved battery life by utilizing superiorbatteries and power management systems. PDTs are available from severalsources, including Honeywell (formerly Hand Held Products), the assigneeof the present application.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a conventional PDT 100. The PDT 100 utilizesan elongated water resistant body 102 supporting a variety ofcomponents, including: a battery (not illustrated); a touch screen 106(generally comprising a LCD screen under a touch sensitive panel); akeypad 108 (including a scan button 108 a); a scan engine (notillustrated); and a data/charging port (also not illustrated). The scanengine may comprise, for example, one or more of an image engine, alaser engine, or an RFID engine. The scan engine is generally locatednear a top end 110 of the PDT 100. The data/charging port typicallycomprises a proprietary mechanical interface with one set of pins orpads for transmitting and receiving data (typically via a serialinterface standard such as USB or RS-232) and a second set of pins orpads for receiving power for operating the system and/or charging thebattery. The data charging port is generally located near a bottom end111 of the PDT 100.

In use, the user presses the scan key 108 a to initiate data capture viathe scan engine. The captured data is analyzed, e.g., decoded toidentify the information represented, stored and, displayed on the touchscreen 106. Additional processing of the data may take place on the PDT100 and/or an external data processing resource to which the data istransmitted.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of a conventional PDT 200. A centralprocessing unit (CPU) 202 receives data from and outputs data to othersub-systems for storage, transmission, and additional processing. TheCPU 202 typically comprises one or more of a number of off-the-shelfsolutions including: embedded processors, such as an XSCALE® processoravailable from MARVELL® TECHNOLOGY GROUP; general purpose processors,such as a PENTIUM® 4 available from INTEL®; or any number of customsolutions including pre-configured field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs) and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Overalloperation of the CPU 202 is controlled by software or firmware(typically referred to as an operating system) stored in one or morememory locations 205 n, such as: RAM 205 a; FLASH memory 205 b; andEEPROM 205 c. Examples of suitable operating systems for the PDT 200include graphical user interfaces such as WINDOWS MOBILE®, WINDOWS® CE,WINDOWS® XP, LINUX, PALM®, and OSX operating systems.

In general, communication between the CPU 202 and the varioussub-components takes place via one or more ports or busses, including amain system bus 204; a plurality of Universal AsynchronousReceiver/Transmitter (UART) ports 206 n; and a Dual UniversalAsynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (DUART) 210.

A variety of secondary processors may be provided to perform general andapplication specific functions. The example illustrated in FIG. 2 aprovides three such processors: a field programmable gate array (FPGA)212; an auxiliary processor 214; and an LCD controller 216. The FPGA 212may comprise any number of FPGAs including the Virtex-4 family of FPGAsavailable from XILINX. The FPGA 212 is used to interface with one ormore data acquisition systems as described hereinafter. The auxiliaryprocessor 214 may comprise any number of embedded (or general purpose)processors, including the PICmicro® family of microcontrollers availablefrom MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY. The auxiliary processor 214 interfaces withand controls a variety of data input devices including, for example atouch sensitive panel 222, a keypad 224, and a scan key or trigger 226.The LCD controller 216 may comprise any number of available controllersincluding, for example, one of the available EPSON LCD controllers. Asits name and connections suggest, the LCD controller 216 controls thedisplay of images on an LCD display 220, such as any number of displaysavailable from SHARP. The combination of the LCD 220 and the touchsensitive panel 222 is often referred to as a “touch screen.”

The PDT 200 may further include a plurality of communication links suchas an 802.11 communication link 240, an IR communication link 242, aBluetooth communication link 244, and a cellular communication link 246for communication with a cellular network such as a network inaccordance with the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)network. The 802.11 communication link 240 interfaces with the CPU 202via the main system bus 204. The IR communication link 242 and theBluetooth communication link 244 are connected to the CPU 202 via UARTchannels 206 n. The cellular communication link 246 is connected to theCPU 202 via the DUART 210. Wired communication may be conducted via aUART, such as the UART 206 e.

The PDT 200 may be configured to activate a data collection subsystembased on the actuation of a key on the keypad 224 (including the trigger226) or a touch on the touch panel 222. In addition to the touch panel222 and keyboard 224, a variety of suitable data collection subsystemsmay be integrated into the PDT 200. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, twosuch systems are illustrated: an image signal generation system 250 andan RFID reader unit 260. Data acquisition subsystems may be controlledwith either the main CPU 202 or a secondary processor. For example theimage signal generation system 250 is illustrated as being controlled bythe FPGA 212. Possible configurations of the FPGA 212 are illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 6,947,612 incorporated herein by reference. As anotherexample, the RFID reader unit 260 is illustrated as being controlled,via the system bus 204, by the CPU 202.

The image signal generating system 250 generally comprises a twodimensional solid state image sensor 252 (such as a CCD, a CMOS, or aCID) for capturing an image containing data, e.g. an, image, a bar code,or a signature. Two-dimensional solid state image sensors generally havea plurality of photo sensor picture elements (“pixels”) which are formedin a pattern including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns ofpixels. The image signal generating system 250 further includes imagingoptics (not shown) focusing an image onto an active surface of the imagesensor 252. The image sensor 252 may be incorporated on an image sensorIC chip having disposed thereon image sensor control circuitry, imagesignal conditioning circuitry, and an analog-to-digital converter. TheFPGA 212 manages the capture and transfer of image data into memory 205n. Possible configurations of the FPGA 212 are illustrated in U.S. Pat.No. 6,947,612 incorporated herein by reference. Decoding may beperformed by the CPU 202 or any suitable secondary processor. Examplesof suitable image signal generation system 250 include the 5000 2Dengine series available from Honeywell (formerly Hand Held Products),assignee of the present application, such as the 5X00 and 5X80 engines.

One use of the image signal generating system 250 is reading andinterpreting bar codes such as bar code 275 on an item 270. In thismode, when the trigger button 226 is actuated, the CPU 202 causes theappropriate control signals to be sent to the image sensor 252. Inresponse thereto, the image sensor 252 outputs digital image dataincluding a representation of the bar code symbol 275. This data isacquired by the FPGA 212 where it is collected and subsequentlytransferred to the memory 205 a. In accordance with a decoding program(not specifically illustrated but typically executed by either the FPGA212 or the CPU 202) an attempt may be made to decode the bar coderepresented in the captured digital image representation. The captureand decoding of image data may occur automatically in response to atrigger signal being generated by activation of the trigger 226. Forexample, the CPU 202 may be configured, typically through execution of aprogram resident in the memory 205 a, to continuously capture and decodebar code symbols represented therein until either a successful decode iscompleted or the trigger 226 is released. The cycle may also beterminated by timing out after a number of unsuccessful decode attempts.

In addition to having a decode mode of operation, the image signalgeneration system 250 may also be configured for an image capture modeof operation. In an image capture mode of operation, an electronic imagerepresentation is captured without attempting a decode. It is alsopossible to capture an image including a bar code and then decode thebar code, with or without making use of the non-bar code area of thecaptured image. The captured electronic image representation may be oneor more of (i) stored into a designated memory location of the memory205 a, (ii) transmitted to an external device, or (iii) displayed on theLCD 220. This mode may be used to capture, for example an image of asignature or damage to a package.

The RFID reader unit 260 includes an RF oscillation and receiver circuit262 and a data decoder 264. The RFID reader unit 260 may be configuredto read RF encoded data from a passive RFID tag, such as a tag 277,which may be disposed on the item 270. In such a case, the RFoscillation and receiver circuit 262 transmits a carrier signal to thepassive tag which in turn converts the carrier energy to voltage formand actuates a transponder (not shown) to transmit a radio signalrepresenting the encoded tag data. The RF oscillator and receivercircuit 262, in turn, receives the radio signal from the tag andconverts the data into a digital format. The data decoder 264, typicallyincluding a low cost microcontroller IC chip, decodes the received radiosignal information received by the RF oscillator and receiver circuit262 to decode the encoded identification data originally encoded intothe tag 277.

The RFID reader unit 260 may, for example, operate in a selectiveactivation mode or in a continuous read operating mode. In a selectiveactivation mode, the RFID reader unit 260 broadcasts radio signals in anattempt to activate a tag or tags in its vicinity in response to an RFIDtrigger signal being received. In a continuous read mode, the RFoscillation and receiver circuit 262 continuously broadcasts radiosignals in an attempt to actuate a tag or tags in proximity to the PDT200 automatically, without receiving a trigger signal. The PDT 200 maybe configured so that the CPU 202 recognizes a trigger signal undernumerous conditions, such as: (1) actuation of the trigger 226; (2)receipt of an RFID trigger instruction (for example generated by asoftware program); or (3) a determination that some other predeterminedcondition has been satisfied.

Referring to FIGS. 1B and 2B, the exemplary hand held bar code scanner112 (referred to as “scanner 112”) has a number of subsystems forcapturing images and decoding dataforms within such images. The scanner112 has an imaging reader assembly 114 provided within a head portion ora housing 116 connected to a handle portion 113. A trigger 115 is usedto control operation of the scanner 112. The head portion 116 has amedial plane MP selected so that the scanner 112 is held with the headportion generally horizontal. The medial plane MP should generally beperpendicular to the face of the scanning head 116, as operators have atendency to hold the medial plane of the head portion of the imagerapproximately normal to the plane of the target when collecting data.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the image reader assembly 114 generally comprisesa read optical system 150, an illumination assembly 142, an aimingpattern generator 130 and a variety of control and communicationmodules. The read optical system 150 generates frames of data containingindications of the intensity of light received by the read opticalsystem 150. The illumination assembly 142 illuminates a target Tcreating reflections that are received by the read optical system 150.The aiming pattern generator 130 projects an aiming light pattern toassist with aiming the scanner 112. While the present descriptionemploys an imager based data collection subsystem (the image readerassembly 114), it is to be recognized that the data collection subsystemmay take other forms, such as a laser scanner.

The read optical system 150 generally comprises imaging receive optics152 and an image sensor 154. The imaging receive optics 152 receiveslight reflected from a target T and projects the reflected light on tothe image sensor 154. The image sensor 154 may comprise any one of anumber of two-dimensional, color or monochrome solid state image sensorsusing such technologies as CCD, CMOS, NMOS, PMOS, CID, CMD, etc. Onepossible sensor is the MT9V022 sensor from Micron Technology Inc. Suchsensors contain an array of light sensitive photodiodes (or pixels) thatconvert incident light energy into electric charges.

Many image sensors are employed in a full frame (or global) shutteroperating mode, wherein the entire imager is reset prior to an imagecapture operation to remove any residual signal in the photodiodes. Thephotodiodes (pixels) then accumulate charge for some period of time(exposure period), with the light collection starting and ending atabout the same time for all pixels. At the end of the integration period(time during which light is collected), all charges are simultaneouslytransferred to light shielded areas of the sensor to prevent furtheraccumulation of charge during the readout process. The signals are thenshifted out of the light shielded areas of the sensor and read out. Itis also known to employ a rolling shutter.

The illumination assembly 142 generally comprises a power supply 144,illumination sources 146, and illumination optics 148. The illuminationoptics 148 directs the output of the illumination sources 146 (generallycomprising LEDs or the like) onto the target T. The light is reflectedoff the target T and received by the read optical system 150. It is tobe noted that the illumination provided by the illumination assembly 142may be combined with (or replaced by) other sources of illumination,including ambient light, from sources outside of the scanner 112.

The aiming pattern generator 130 generally comprises a power supply 131,light source 132, aperture 133, and optics 136. The aiming patterngenerator 130 creates an aiming light pattern projected on or near thetarget which spans a portion of the receive optical system's 150operational field of view with the intent of assisting the operator toproperly aim the scanner at the bar code pattern that is to be read. Anumber of representative generated aiming patterns are possible and notlimited to any particular pattern or type of pattern, such as anycombination of rectilinear, linear, circular, elliptical, etc., figures,whether continuous or discontinuous, i.e., defined by sets of discretedots, dashes, and the like. Alternately, the aimer pattern generator maybe a laser pattern generator.

Generally, the aiming light source 132 may comprise any light sourcewhich is sufficiently small or concise and bright to provide a desiredillumination pattern at the target. For example, the light source 132may comprise one or more LEDs, such as part number NSPG300A made byNichia Corporation. Illumination and aiming light sources with differentcolors and combination of colors may be employed, for example white,green and red LEDs. The colors may be chosen based on the color of thesymbols most commonly imaged by the image reader. Different colored LEDsmay be each alternatively pulsed at a level in accordance with anoverall power budget.

The light sources 132 may also be comprised of one or more laser diodessuch as those available from Rohm. In this case, a laser collimationlens (not shown in these drawings) will focus the laser light to a spotgenerally forward of the scanning head and approximately at the plane ofthe target T. This beam may then be imaged through a diffractiveinterference pattern generating element, such as a holographic elementfabricated with a desired pattern in mind. Examples of these types ofelements are known, commercially available items and may be purchased,for example, from Digital Optics Corp. of Charlotte, NC, among others.

A host processor 118 provides overall control of the image readerassembly 114. The host processor 118 and other components of the imagereader assembly are generally connected by one or more buses 168 nand/or dedicated communication lines. In the illustrated example, aparallel bus 168 a connects the host processor 118 to a main systemmemory 166 used to store processed (and unprocessed) image data from theimage sensor 154. The host processor utilizes an I2C bus 168 b tocommunicate exposure settings to the image sensor 154 and illuminationparameters to a microcontroller 160. A dedicated 8 to 10 bit parallelbus 168 c is used to transfer image data from the image sensor 154 tothe host processor 118. The width of the bus 168 c may be dependent onthe bit size recorded by each pixel in the image sensor 154. The outputof the image sensor 154 is processed by a host processor 118 utilizingone or more functions or algorithms to condition the signalappropriately for use in further processing downstream, including beingdigitized to provide a digitized image of target T.

Another function of the host processor 118 is to decode machine readablesymbology represented within an image captured by the image sensor 154.Information respecting various reference decode algorithms is availablefrom various published standards, such as by the International StandardsOrganization (“ISO”).

The microcontroller 160 maintains illumination parameters, used tocontrol operation of the illumination assembly 142 and the aimingpattern generator 130, in a memory 162. For example, the memory 162 maycontain tables indicative of power settings for the power supply 144 and131 corresponding to various states of the signal from the image sensor154. Based upon signals from the host processor 118 and/or the imagesensor 154, the microcontroller 160 sends signals to the power supplies131 and 144 based on values stored in the table in memory 162. Anexemplary microcontroller 160 is the CY8C24223A made by CypressSemiconductor Corporation.

The image reader assembly 114 may be provided with one or morecommunication paths for communicating with remote devices 124 a, such asnetworks, network interfaces (e.g. routers hubs and switches), otherscanners, data collection devices, computers, or data storage devices(e.g. hard drives). In general, such communications paths are eitherwired or wireless and may either be integrated with the host processor118 or implemented as one or more separate modules. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 2B, a wired connection, such as UARTS, USB, serial,parallel, scan wedge, or Ethernet, is shown as being integrated with thehost processor 118. On the other hand, a wireless connection, such asIrDA, BLUETOOTH, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and 802.11, is illustrated as beingimplemented via a wireless communication module 180.

FIG. 3 shows a system 300 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The system 300 includes a central connectivity point 310 anda plurality of data collection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c. Each ofthe data collection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c are connected to aterminal device 330 a, 330 b, and 330 c, respectively. The datacollection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c may include, for example, thefeatures of the PDTs 100 and 200 shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B. Thecentral connectivity point 310 is connected to the data collectiondevices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c via a wireless secondary communicationchannel 350. Each of the data collection devices 320 is connected to thecorresponding terminal device 330 a, 330 b, or 330 c via a primarycommunication channel 340 a, 340 b, and 340 c, respectively. Accordingto other aspects of the invention, the system 300 may include additionalcomponents, such as a server communicating with one or more of theterminal devices 330 a, 330 b, and 330 c.

The data collection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c are connected to thecorresponding terminal device 330 a, 330 b, or 330 c via thecorresponding primary communication channel 340 a, 340 b, or 340 c. Theprimary communication channels 340 a, 340 b, and 340 c may be a one-wayor two-way communication channel, and may be used in day-to-dayoperations of the portable data terminal 320. The primary communicationchannel 340 a, 340 b, and 340 c may be a wired or wireless communicationchannel, such as the communication channels shown in FIG. 2 b. Dependingon the architecture of the terminal devices 330 a, 330 b, and 330 c, theindividual primary communication channels 340 a, 340 b, and 340 c maynot share the same technology. For example, the primary communicationchannel 340 a may be USB, while the primary communication channel 140 cmay be RS-232. If, for example, the primary communication channel 340 bis a one-way communication channel, data may only be transferred fromthe data collection device 320 b to the terminal device 330 b. Securityconcerns may also limit the data that may be transmitted via the primarycommunication channels 340 a, 340 b, and 340 c.

The data collection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c are connected to thecentral connectivity point (CCP) via the secondary communication channel350. The secondary communication channel 350 is a wireless communicationchannel that may employ any available wireless technology, such asZigBee, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. ZigBee is a wireless solution that can beadded to existing portable data terminals at low cost. The secondarycommunication channel 150 allows the data collection devices 320 a, 320b, and 320 c to communicate with the central connectivity point 110without significantly impacting any concurrent communications with thecorresponding terminal device 330 a, 330 b, or 330 c via the primarycommunication channel 340. ZigBee is an inexpensive wireless solutionwith a fairly large range that can be easily incorporated into existingdata collection devices. In addition, ZigBee supports a relay systemthat can further extend the range of the secondary communication channel350.

The central connectivity point 310 may communicate with the datacollection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c using the secondarycommunication channel 350. Although the central connectivity point couldcommunicate via the primary communication channel 340, the purpose ofthe primary communication channel, as discussed above, is to communicatewith the corresponding terminal devices 330 a, 330 b, and 330 c. Theprimary communication channel may not be able to handle data transferbetween the central connectivity point, due to limited bandwidth or thenetwork implementation. The secondary communication channel 350, incontrast, is designed to allow dedicated communication between the datacollection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c and the central connectivitypoint 310. This permits aspects of the system 300 to be incorporatedinto, or on top of, existing networks without an extensiveredevelopment.

The central connectivity point 310 administers the data collectiondevices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c. Administration functions may includeproviding software updates to the data collection devices, monitoringthe data collection devices, or providing real-time licenses to the datacollection devices so as to allow a user to operate features of the datacollection devices corresponding to the licenses. Especially in the caseof remote monitoring and software updating, the central connectivitydevice 310 enables the administration of the data collection devices 320a, 320 b, and 320 c simultaneously, instead of requiring a technician toperform these tasks individually for each data collection device.

A variety of functions may be implemented via the system 300. Forexample, the data collection devices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c may allhave the same software or hardware features, but not all of thesefeatures may be needed for a particular job. The central connectivitypoint 310 may implement a real-time license system, in which licensesare transmitted to the portable data terminals 320 a, 320 b, and 320 cwhen needed, to activate corresponding software or hardware features. Anenterprise implementing the system 300 would not need to deploydifferent types or configurations of data collective devices; instead,the same type or configuration may be deployed throughout the system anddifferent software and hardware features may be selectively enabled anddisabled as needed. This standardization can reduce conflicts and reducedeployment and support costs.

The system 300 also supports seamless updating of the data collectiondevices 320 a, 320 b, and 320 c. Previously, each data collection devicewould need to be updated manually, a time-consuming and expensive taskthat would require the data collection device to be taken out of servicewhile the upgrade was performed. However, using the secondarycommunication channel 350, the central connectivity point 310 maydownload software updates to each of the data collection devices 320 a,320 b, and 320 c in the background, during normal operation. The onlydisruption would occur if the upgrade requires a restart. The restartprocess, however, would only require a few minutes of downtime, and thisdowntime could occur whenever the operator wishes. Upgrading may alsooccur outside of normal work hours, in which case the downtime would notbe noticeable.

FIG. 4 shows the data collection device 320 a according to an embodimentof the present invention; the data collection devices 320 b and 320 cmay be configured in similar fashion. The data collection device 320 aincludes a primary communication interface 314, a secondarycommunication interface 315, and a controller 311. The primarycommunication interface 314 and the secondary communication interface315 are communication interfaces for the primary communication channel340 and the secondary communication channel 350, respectively. Thesecondary communication interface 315 may also serve as a relay toconnect other data collection devices that are outside the range of thecentral connectivity point 310. The controller 311 controls operationsof the data collection device 320 a. According to other aspects of theinvention, the data collection device 320 a may include additionaland/or different components, depending on the nature of the datacollection device 320 a. For example, the data collection device 320 amay also include an input/output unit, additional software features,and/or a storage unit. Similarly, the functionality of two or more ofthe above units may be integrated into a single component; for example,the primary communication interface 314 may be integrated with thesecondary communication interface 315 so that a single communicationinterface handles communications via both the primary communicationchannel 340 and the secondary communication channel 350.

The data collection device 320 a may also include, as shown in FIG. 4, afirst memory 312 a and a second memory 312 b. The first and secondmemories 312 a and 312 b may be used where data being used for normaloperations of the portable data terminal 320 should not be commingledwith data being transmitted to, or received from, the centralconnectivity point 310. Such a situation could arise, for example, whenthe central connectivity point 310 is downloading a software upgrade tothe portable data terminal 320 in the background, while the datacollection device 320 a is otherwise operating normally. Since thesoftware upgrade could affect the operation of the data collectiondevice 320 a, the controller 311 can store the software upgrade receivedfrom the central connectivity point 310 in the second memory 312 b whilethe portable data terminal operates using the first memory 312 a. Thecontroller 311 may then complete the upgrade using the data stored inthe second memory 312 b while the portable data terminal 320 is notbeing used. This facilitates seamless background downloading of datawithout disrupting operations of the data collection device 320 a. Theoperator of the data collection device 320 a need not even be aware thatbackground downloading is occurring.

In addition to software upgrades and real-time license management, bothexamples of downloading data to the data collection device 320 a fromthe central connectivity point 310, the system 300 may also be employedfor real-time monitoring of the data collection device 320 a. Thisreal-time monitoring capability may be used to determine whether thedata collection device 320 a requires updating, to monitor the use ofthe data collection device 320 a, or to diagnose problems with the datacollection device 320 a. If the data collection device 320 a isexperiencing problems, a technician does not need to go on-site todiagnose the issue. Instead, the technician may access the datacollection device 320 a remotely via the secondary communication channel350 to examine the data collection device 320 a and determine the causeof the problem. The monitoring capability may also be used to, forexample, compile usage statistics about the data collection device 320 aor to track unauthorized use of the data collection device 320 a.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a software update process performed using thesystem 300, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Inoperation 410, the central connectivity point 310 transmits the softwareupdate to the data collection device 320 a via the second communicationchannel 350. Prior to transmitting the data, the central connectivitypoint 310 may first request information from the data collection device320 a to determine whether the software update is necessary, and proceedwith the software update process only if the information received fromthe data collection device 320 a indicates that the software update isneeded. The central connectivity point 310 may be connected to theInternet and obtain the software update from a remote site, such as themanufacturer of the data collection device 120 a.

In operation 420, the controller 311 receives the software update fromthe central connectivity point 310 and stores the software update inmemory. The controller may store the software update in the memory 312b, as shown in FIG. 4, so as to minimize disruption of the normaloperations of the data collection device 320 a. Operations 410 and 420may be performed in the background, while the data collection device 320a performs normal operations using the primary communication channel340.

In operation 430, the controller 311 updates the portable data terminal320 using the software update stored in the memory. Operation 430 neednot be performed immediately after the software update is received andstored in the memory. If the software update does not require disruptingnormal operation of the data collection device 320 a (for example, norestart is required, or the feature being updated is not being used),operation 410 may be performed once the software update is received fromthe central connectivity point 310. In other situations, the controller311 may issue a prompt to the operator of the data collection device 320a indicating that a software update has been received. The operator maychoose to install the update immediately, or may wait until a moreconvenient time. Instead of informing the operator, the controller 111may instead wait until the data collection device 320 a is not beingused, such as at a predetermined time of day (for example, after theclose of business) or when the portable data terminal has been idle fora predetermined time. The update may also be pre-scheduled to occur at apredetermined time.

Aspects of the present invention can also be embodied as computerreadable codes on a computer readable recording medium. The computerreadable recording medium is any data storage device that can store datawhich can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of thecomputer readable recording medium also include read-only memory (ROM),random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks,optical data storage devices, and carrier waves (such as datatransmission through the Internet). The computer readable recordingmedium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems sothat the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributedfashion. Also, functional programs, codes, and code segments foraccomplishing aspects of the present invention can be easily construedby programmers skilled in the art to which the present inventionpertains.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in this embodiment without departing from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe claims and their equivalents.

1. A system, comprising: a plurality of data collection devices, eachdata collection device connected to a corresponding data terminal via aprimary communication channel; and a central connectivity pointconnected to each data collection device via a wireless secondarycommunication channel to communicate, via the secondary communicationchannel, with a first data collection device from the plurality of datacollection devices without disrupting communication between the firstdata collection device and the first data collection device'scorresponding data terminal via the primary communication channel;wherein the central connectivity point remotely administers the firstdata collection device via the secondary communication channel; andwherein the central connectivity point transmits a license to the firstdata collection device, the license enabling use of at least one featureof the first data collection device.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe wireless secondary communication channel is a two-way communicationchannel.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the central connectivitypoint communicates with the first data collection device via thewireless secondary communication channel while the first data collectiondevice is communicating with the corresponding data terminal via theprimary communication channel.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thecentral connectivity point monitors a status of the first datacollection device via the wireless secondary communication channel. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein the central connectivity point updatesthe first data collection device via the wireless secondarycommunication channel.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the centralconnectivity point communicates with the plurality of data collectiondevices so as to remotely administer the plurality of data collectiondevices substantially simultaneously.
 7. The system of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of data collection devices comprises a singlecommunication interface for handling communications via the primarycommunication channel and the secondary communication channel.
 8. Asystem, comprising: a plurality of data collection devices, each datacollection device connected to a corresponding data terminal via aprimary communication channel; and a central connectivity pointconnected to each data collection device via a wireless secondarycommunication channel to communicate, via the secondary communicationchannel, with a first data collection device from the plurality of datacollection devices without disrupting communication between the firstdata collection device and the first data collection device'scorresponding data terminal via the primary communication channel;wherein the central connectivity point remotely administers the firstdata collection device via the secondary communication channel; andwherein the secondary communication channel of the first data collectiondevice connects another data collection device that is beyond the rangeof the central connectivity point to the central connectivity point. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless secondary communicationchannel is a ZigBee network.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thecentral connectivity point communicates with the first data collectiondevice via the wireless secondary communication channel while the firstdata collection device is communicating with the corresponding dataterminal via the primary communication channel.
 11. The system of claim8, wherein the central connectivity point monitors a status of the firstdata collection device via the wireless secondary communication channel.12. The system of claim 8, wherein the central connectivity pointupdates the first data collection device via the wireless secondarycommunication channel.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the centralconnectivity point communicates with the plurality of data collectiondevices so as to remotely administer the plurality of data collectiondevices substantially simultaneously.
 14. The system of claim 8, whereineach of the plurality of data collection devices comprises a singlecommunication interface for handling communications via the primarycommunication channel and the secondary communication channel
 15. Asystem, comprising: a plurality of data collection devices, each datacollection device connected to a corresponding data terminal via aprimary communication channel; and a central connectivity pointconnected to each data collection device via a wireless secondarycommunication channel to communicate, via the secondary communicationchannel, with a first data collection device from the plurality of datacollection devices without disrupting communication between the firstdata collection device and the first data collection device'scorresponding data terminal via the primary communication channel;wherein the central connectivity point remotely administers the firstdata collection device via the secondary communication channel; andwherein the central connectivity point compiles usage statistics and/ortracks unauthorized usage statistics regarding the plurality of datacollection devices.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the centralconnectivity point communicates with the first data collection devicevia the wireless secondary communication channel while the first datacollection device is communicating with the corresponding data terminalvia the primary communication channel.
 17. The system of claim 15,wherein the central connectivity point monitors a status of the firstdata collection device via the wireless secondary communication channel.18. The system of claim 15, wherein the central connectivity pointupdates the first data collection device via the wireless secondarycommunication channel.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the centralconnectivity point communicates with the plurality of data collectiondevices so as to remotely administer the plurality of data collectiondevices substantially simultaneously.
 20. The system of claim 15,wherein each of the plurality of data collection devices comprises asingle communication interface for handling communications via theprimary communication channel and the secondary communication channel.